The Nightmare Wars
by Giga Bowser NS
Summary: More than 1000 years ago, something catastrophic happened that would change the course of Equestrian history forever. A young Princess, angered by injustices committed against her, will give in to her jealousy and rage and be transformed into a Nightmare. This is a tale you will not find in any history books. This is a first-hand account of the dark horrors that befell Equestria.
1. Are You Afraid of Me?

Chapter 1 -** Are You Afraid of Me?**

I levitated up the headpiece with my magic. Slowly. Meticulously.

Such a simple piece of armour it was, yet so striking and fearful. This simple piece of metal…It meant war. It meant destruction. It meant _death_. The headpiece was an iconic symbol amongst the ponies of this land, and all who were weak at heart fled from its very sight. There were many like it, but this one was _mine_.

Slowly, I made my way across the room that I was in. The contents of the room meant nothing to me. I almost didn't notice anything beyond the four walls was there at all. My mind, though hard-set and determined, was in a flurry of thoughts. The only sound that filled the room was the heavy, resounding echo as my hooves touched the ground.

Years…For years I have been here, and for far too long this had been going on. We as a nation had long since passed the need for change, and I would no longer idly stand by. Decisions had been made long ago, and there was no way for me to turn back now. Though, it's not like I harboured any desire to turn back anyway.

Tonight, blood would be shed.

My eyes rested upon the full-length mirror that adorned the wall as I approached it. For a while, they were fixated to the headpiece; smooth and deep blue with sharp, stylistic edges. It was held aloft in the glorious blue aura of my horn's magic. I moved it to the side and regarded my own reflection.

There before me stood a tall, powerful mare. The kind of pony who could lead armies, conquer lands, rule nations, and earn the admiration and respect of her peers. She who stood before me was no ordinary pony, not by any stretch of the imagination, which is what made my current struggles so vexing. There was another pony out there, alike to me in so many ways. Together, we had nearly conquered the world, and in fact had done so with fairly minimal bloodshed.

Why, then, should they adore her and not me?

My teal-coloured eyes turned furious and I held back a growl. Gone was the time for screaming and yelling. I brought the headpiece back towards me and slowly lifted it up above my head. As I did so, I took another look at my reflection. Four strong blue hooves, long slender horn, taut and powerful wings and a wondrously beautiful mane that shone like the beauty of the night sky. Not much had changed about this pony in the last decade, and yet the one in the reflection could scarcely be recognized as the once-demure Princess of the Night.

I took one more glance up at the headpiece before I stared straight ahead. I stared straight into the reflection of my own eyes. Even a facsimile of myself sent a shiver down my spine from the icy fury held behind those eyes. The headpiece slowly descended, settling atop my head and resting around my ears and horn.

After a single deep breath, I took in what I saw. The armour created a fitting image of who I was. I was a warrior, and a bringer of justice. I was merciless and steadfast, and I would not let anypony stand in my way. I was _not_ who I was many years ago; I had changed for the better.

As an alicorn, my powers and abilities were matched by no other creature. None could possibly stand up to me except for the only other alicorn in existence. In the past, she had been my superior in every way, but those times were gone now. She was _nothing_ now.

I set my hooves onto the floor and took on an imposing posture, thrusting out my chest and raising my head proudly. Even while wearing no armour except for the headpiece, it was deliciously fitting. Yes, this _was_ the pony who could rule. There would be no question.

"I am the regent of the night…I am _darkness_!"

I slammed my hoof on the ground to punctuate my words, not caring who heard or about the small crater I had just left in the marble floor. My eyes were like steel, unwavering in their steadfast glare. The time for petty emotions was gone. Now was the time for change, and some ponies in this world are afraid of change. They fear and despise it. Those ponies made me sick.

I turned and began to march towards the door, my purpose in this room completed. No further armour was necessary, nor was it wanted. I had, for the most part, sequestered myself in the room to mentally prepare myself for what was about to happen. As it turned out, this had been an unnecessary precaution. From the moment this headpiece had touched my body, any little doubts vanished.

The moon would rise.

I did not hurry as I began to make my way through the castle. I took my time, trotting at a leisurely pace and casting my gaze at my surroundings as I went. My expression turned sour at the gaudy interior. Bright, bold marble was everywhere, accented and decorated by golds, yellows and pinks. Everywhere I looked was bright, blazing, garish colours. It was all so ridiculously extravagant, like staring directly into an unbelievably bright flame. I was the only shade of blue to be seen.

I passed through some doorways and made my way down a couple hallways, all accented by excessive red carpets. There were guards stationed in many places around the palace. They normally prowled the hallways and stood guard in front of every door that I would need to pass through. I scowled at each and every one of them, all magically done up to look identical to one another. Nearly 50 ponies I passed, all coloured white and decked out in loud yellow colours. I resisted the urge to crush the skulls of their sleeping forms, every one of them fast asleep thanks to the spell I had cast not long ago. Tonight, their true loyalty would be tested.

Like a quiet storm, I moved through the wondrously large castle towards my destination. Still, I was in no hurry. Nopony in this castle could ever hope to stop me if they wanted to, so there would be no trouble until I arrived. I began to think about all the redecoration that would take place, and my creative mind squealed with joy at the thought. So much was I invested in these thoughts that it became too distracting. I instead thought about why I was here today, and my furious expression returned. I tried my best to not let everything around me burst into arcane flames.

I entered the second-last hallway that I would need to traverse, this one much more grand than the others. It occupied two levels, and I was currently traversing the upper floor. I passed 15 slumbering guards in the room, but there were no commoners to be seen. How unusual. Court was about to end, but it was strange to not see those last few pathetic peasants who would not be able to get in before closing time. It was if they all knew what was about to happen, though none of them possibly could.

One last hallway, devoid of anypony as it was a private access way, and I found myself before a large, ornate door. Only there did I finally pause. I stared angrily at the door, as if it had somehow wronged me. My heart hammered in my chest, but do not think for a moment that I was nervous. I was filled with exhilaration and anticipation, adrenaline pumping through my veins. I was anxious to burst through that door and face my enemy, but I savoured the moment.

Standing above all other emotions, however, was the one that had been my companion for nearly a decade now. Anger. The volatile, boiling anger that had fueled everything that had happened so far, and would fuel whatever happened next. Horrible anger that would not dissipate. No- _Could_ not dissipate. Not until something was done. This injustice would end tonight, or I would die trying.

I had considered shattering the door into a million pieces, but instead I calmly opened it and stepped through. Even _I_ have a sense of dramatic flair. I found myself standing on a raised stone platform at the head of a large room. Two small stone stairways led down to the lower area beneath me. In front of me there was a semi-circular stone carving that mimicked the appearance of a small balcony, though it did not extend outwards. Though I did not look at them, I knew that behind me there were two pieces of hanging drapery. The one to my left was yellow and gold and it depicted the shining sunlight. On my right was the moon's counterpart, though it was clearly an afterthought as it was exactly identical except in colour. Beneath them were two extravagant thrones in colours matching the drapes.

Sitting high above on the surrounding walls were a series of statues all looking down upon the room below. Each and every one of them was a sculpture of the same pony, and seeing them all made my blood boil. Below was a large area, with torches adorning the walls and an enormous red carpet with another extravagant depiction of the sun on it. This was the area that would normally be occupied by a number of guards as well as some peasant commoner pleading with the rulers for some thing or other. Now, however, it was occupied by only one pony; the same pony that all the statues resembled.

The alicorn down below stood off to the side, gazing out the window. Body covered in fur as white as clouds, powerful wings and a long, slender horn. She was taller than I was, something that had eternally irked me. Her mane was a bright, vibrant pink colour and it flowed as mine did on an unseen, ethereal wind.

Her horn glowed in a bright golden aura as she looked out, a calm, content look upon her face. I stood silently watching her, unsure if she had noticed me or not and not caring either way. Outside the window, in the corner of my vision, I saw the sun descend through the sky, cast bright, warm colours across the land, and slowly begin to dip below the horizon. I had entered the room at exactly the moment of sunset.

Just as planned.

"Good day, sister," the other alicorn spoke, turning to look up at me but barely changing her expression. That is, until she got a good look at me.

I huffed derisively. "How kind of you to notice me, _Celestia_," The bitter words left my throat in a deep, poisonous voice, and a sense of elation swept over me as I swung them at her. I spoke her name, in particular, in a sharp, biting tone. It sickened me to even say it.

She blinked and stood there, staring directly at me. Not much about her demeanour changed, but I had known her long enough to know what was going on inside of her head. She was cautiously assessing the situation. I could tell there were a thousand questions brewing in her mind already.

"Is…something happening?" she spoke slowly, taking step towards me.

I glared daggers at her. "Stay where you are," I commanded.

She paused, her second hoof hanging in the air. "I beg your pardon?"

"Do not move," I repeated, my expression unchanged.

Celestia gently placed her hoof back on the ground. It was clear from her expression that she was in shock at having been given such a direct command, but it looked like she was choosing to obey it for the time being. Smart move.

"Who are you to command me?" she asked. There was no anger, malice or superiority in her voice. She posed her question in much the same way as one might ask to be passed something at the dinner table.

I grit my teeth. "You know _damn_ well who I am," I spoke in a much lower voice.

Her eyes drifted upwards. "Why do you wear your headpiece? Has something happened?"

There was a silent pause in the room. For a moment, neither of us spoke or even moved. Then I cracked a smile and laughed. "Oh yes, _dear sister_," I said, bile dripping from those last two words, "Something is about to happen."

Finally, her expression changed. She narrowed her eyes and frowned, appearing as if she had just lost her patience. "You of all ponies should know that this is no way to treat the Princess of Equestria," she said, stepping into a trot towards me, "Unless you have something to discuss with me, I suggest you-_Ah!_"

I grinned in smug satisfaction as Celestia reared back and fell on her rear, the ground in front of her smoking from the arcane bolt I had fired at her front hooves. Her chest was heaving as she stared at the black blemish in the carpet, and then she turned to stare at me. My horn was still glowing.

She appeared completely flustered. "How…How _dare_ you-"

"_**Silence!**_" I exclaimed, using the full power of my voice. The room shook slightly from the vibrations of the Royal Canterlot Voice, something I hardly ever got to use anymore. It felt good unleashing it.

"Wh-"

"_You will remain silent,_" I commanded her, not caring that she would most certainly not obey. I stepped forward, bringing myself towards the dais and taking my rightful position as most superior pony in the room. A wicked grin was cast across my face as I stood high, Celestia sitting on the ground and looking up at me.

"Tonight," I continued to speak in my most commanding voice, "Tonight, it _ends_, Celestia."

She appeared perplexed. "What are you talking about? _What_ ends?"

The glow around my horn intensified slightly. "Your injustices, your lavish extravagant arrogance and, ultimately, your wrongful reign."

An expression passed across her face. I would best describe it as a mixture of surprise, disbelief, and even a little bit of fear. "You…" she murmured, "Surely you do not mean what you say…"

I glared at her. "For too long this has gone on!" I shouted, "For too long the ponies of this land have been feeding themselves to a gluttonous, selfish, wasteful regent and her blinding, scorching sunlight!"

Celestia began to get to her hooves, but I adjusted my head slightly and caused her to freeze. I had moved my horn into a position where I could aim downwards any spell directly at her, with no way for her to escape or dodge it, while still maintaining my elevated point of view so I may look down upon her. If I may be permitted to boast, I think it was a very striking and fearful pose. Yet, despite being under threat of my magic, she still did nothing but sit there. Her horn did not begin to glow.

I had predicted this, and it brought me a wonderful feeling of satisfaction knowing what was happening. Despite a loaded spell being aimed directly at her…Celestia would still never harm me. She could never harm her _wittle baby sister_. Her pathetic act of weakness had given me exactly the advantage I had needed.

There was that expression again. Celestia was analyzing the situation. Calculating. Scrutinizing.

Stalling.

"You are not fit to rule this land," I spoke to her in a tone that was almost scholarly, "For too long your crimes have gone unnoticed and unpunished. For too long, the voice of reason has gone ignored and shunned. You have allowed your position of power to swell your head and I am here to put a stop to this."

"Sister…" Celestia breathed, barely above a whisper, "Think carefully about what you say. These words you speak are much more serious than I think you realise. If you…choose to stand against me, then…" She trailed off, unable to finish her statement.

I wouldn't have listened anyway. My glare had grown angrier, my blood beginning to boil. "_Are you implying that I am careless and stupid?!_" I exclaimed.

"No! I-"

"_You think that I would be so callous as to make such an audacious claim on a frivolous whim? Do you think I just decided to do this a few minutes ago?_"

"Sister…"

"_**NO!**_" The walls once again shook from the magnitude of my voice. "_I am not your sister! I refuse to be associated with a pony such as you! You are an arrogant, self-centred, unjust, blind fool!_" The aura around my horn flared as I stood there panting, glaring at her. Decades of repressed anger began to boil to the surface. This was not the first time I had yelled and screamed at Celestia, but in the past it had never felt like it was enough. Even at my angriest, I had always chosen to exercise some self-control. I only now realize how much of a fool I had been.

Celestia's eyes had drifted upwards to my brightly-glowing horn. "Sister…" she spoke, trying to sound calm and in control, "If you strike me…"

A short, curt laugh escaped my throat and cut her off. After a pause, it grew into full on laughter. I never took my eyes off of her, but my entire being shook and shivered with laughter. "Ah…You would like that, wouldn't you?" I exclaimed, my anger beginning to overcome me, "You would like to get me so angry that I lash out at you, and then you get to be the _gooood_ big sister and preach to me about order and rules and royalty! You would be the victim here, wouldn't you? _Wouldn't you_?"

"Sis-"

"_I am not your sister!_" I exclaimed, rearing my front hooves up and bringing them down to the ground in a powerful stomp. The marble beneath cracked and shattered. "When will you learn, Celestia? You are not the victim here! You were _never_ the victim! _I_ am the victim, Celestia! It has always been me! Your little sister! Your little _punching bag_ that you could just _throw_ in the corner whenever you grew bored of me! You will _never_ learn, so I will _make_ you learn!"

At some point I had begun to shed tears. Perhaps some would have seen it as a sign of weakness, but at the time I didn't care. Maybe it was better this way, to let her see the pain and suffering she had caused me.

Celestia appeared concerned, or perhaps she was simply afraid for her life. "I…I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Of course you wouldn't!" I shot back at her, "How can you notice my plight when you do not notice _me_?"

She took in a breath and began analyzing the situation again. Always trying to be in control, that one. "Something…" she spoke slowly, "Something has clearly been upsetting you for a while. Why did you not come to speak with me? You know I will be-"

Her speech was interrupted by loud, growling outburst. I couldn't see myself, but I knew that my anger had caused a volatile aura of magic to erupt around me. Celestia shrank back in fear. "_I have heard enough of your lies and false promises!_" I exclaimed, glaring at her with as much malice as I could muster. I felt the energy surrounding me. It made my fur stand on end, and it drew out my wings and tickled my feathers. It was such raw, powerful energy, even more powerful than what I already had within me.

I spread my wings out fully, taking on my most commanding posture. I was through talking. "_Tonight…_" I proclaimed as the last rays of her sun began to fade away behind the horizon, "_The moon will rise and take its place in the sky._" My horn glowed a brilliant whitish-blue as I began to let the moon rise, though it was not visible yet. "_Come 12 hours,_" I continued, "_when it is the appointed time for the sunrise…_" I paused and glared daggers at the pony below me

"…the sun shall _not_ rise."

Celestia's eyes widened. "What?"

"_The moon shall retain its proper place as our glorious celestial guardian, where it shall remain…__**forever**__._"

It was not visible through the windows, but I could feel the moon peaking past the horizon behind me.

"No! You cannot do that!" Celestia exclaimed, and she tried to get to her hooves. I laughed in satisfaction as she found her four hooves bound to the ground, compliments of a spell I had been slowly building. I had been casting it so slowly and discretely that she hadn't even noticed it. This didn't deter her words, however. "You can't be serious! Stop this madness!"

"_Madness?!_" I exclaimed, shaking the walls for a third time. I was beginning to wonder if they would crack and crumble. "You call this _madness_?! I should think the proper term would be 'justice', or perhaps 'destiny'. The moon is a glorious, sacred artefact, but you have pushed and shunned it away for nopony to see! You have cast it to a time and a place where none can regard its beauty, none can respect its wisdom, and some even _fear_ it! I have stood by for _decades_ watching you utterly _destroy_ me and my beautiful night!"

"No…"

"The ponies of this land hide away from the night and slumber through all of my hard work and dedication! I spend _every_ night crafting the stars into a beautiful array, so that every night is different! But they must all sleep, and they would all awaken to revel in your glorified daylight and spend all of their time and effort worshiping you and lauding you with excessive gifts and treatment. Did you really expect me to sit idly by while they all basked in your precious light? Do you realize, dear _sister_, that some ponies _do not know I exist?!_"

Celestia was quite concerned, and I knew it was because she was beginning to realize that, for once in her long life, she did not have the upper hoof. "Stop…Stop this…" she pleaded, "Luna…"

"_**Shut up!**_"

"Luna, please…"

"_**You will not shun me away yet again!**_"

"Look at yourself…"

I decided to take her advice and glance down at myself. What I saw was brilliant, burning blue energy surrounding me. Wind was being whipped through the room, extinguishing all of the torches that lined the walls. My mane was flaring up, burning like a thousand angry fires. It was hard to see through my tear-filled eyes, but I was getting stronger. I was becoming more powerful.

"Are you afraid of me, Celestia…?" I asked simply, turning to look at the pathetic pony on the ground before me.

"I beg of you…" she replied, "Stop all of this before you do something irreversible. Before you do something you regret! I'm sorry if I have wronged you in some way, and I _do_ recall you bringing up the night like this before…but this is not the way…" Her eyes were so caring and so pleading. It sickened me. "Luna…"

I struck the ground in front of her with a bolt of magic to shut her up. "You…are a horrible pony…" I spoke to her. I had expected that this confrontation would dredge up anger from within me, but I had never thought that it would reach such a fevered pitch. I could feel my anger and sadness coursing through me and emanating all around me. I began to realize what this powerful magic was. It was all of my hatred and sorrow personified. My rage towards Celestia was fueling me. It was empowering me!

"You are a terrible pony," I continued, "and a terrible sister! We started as equals, but as the centuries passed you let the crown get to your head. More and more I was pushed into your shadow, and it all ends _now_." My cheeks burned as tears left rivers of anger across them. The room was now a dizzying chaotic whirlwind of magic. _My_ magic. "You have made it painfully clear to me that there can only be _one_ Princess in Equestria."

By this point Celestia was shaking her head and struggling to escape from her bonds. I saw her horn glowing but it was fizzling out, probably because of my own whirlwind of magic overpowering hers.

"You think that it should be you, but you are _wrong_." I clenched my eyes shut as more tears of anger rushed out. I grit my teeth and growled before rearing up on my hind legs and exclaiming, "That Princess…will be _**me!**_**"**

Front hooves came down with the full impact of my newfound power. They collided with the circular stone railing of the dais, shattering it into a million pieces. The marble floor cracked even more as my hooves landed, and I felt the entire foundation shift. Celestia actually screamed from the impact of my stomp. I had my eyes glued on her, but I could hear the floor cracking beneath and behind me. I heard the fault continue upwards, cracking the stone wall that surrounded the door and continuing up to a window that was located high on the wall behind me. I heard the sound of the stained glass cracking and then, a moment later, the window shattered. Glass sprinkled all around me, but any pieces that would have hit me simply vanished when they touched my aura of magic.

Celestia was staring at the entire scene in abject horror. This was the pony who had guided Equestria through countless wars and had never let the nation suffer a loss, and now it seemed my actions had petrified her to the spot. I gave her a scowling grin, a sign of my satisfaction.

I had been so angry that I had wanted to break something, but _this_ had been a pleasant surprise. I had just destroyed part of the castle with a mere stomp of my hooves. I had been gaining power in secret over the years, but this was more than I had ever expected. I now began to regret keeping my emotions hidden for the past couple of decades. Letting out all of my anger and hatred for this pathetic pony was giving me more power that I could have ever imagined. It was swirling all around me, creating a veritable vortex in the room. I felt connected to it all. All of this _power_, and it was all _mine_! My horn glowed brilliantly and I adjusted my head just slightly to aim it at the door on the opposite wall. A second later, it shattered into dust.

"Stop this!" I heard her shout.

"I hereby abdicate you of your throne!" I proclaimed, ignoring her, "From now on, the ponies of this land shall bow down to their one and only true leader."

"This isn't the way!" she was pleading, "We can get through this, sister! I will be there for you, and I'm sorry if I wasn't! We were meant to rule together!"

"Oh _really_?!" I shot her a venomous scowl. "Now, on top of everything else, you are a filthy _hypocrite_!"

"No…!" She was shaking her head and pulling tightly against her magical bonds. She would probably break free from them soon, but I cared little.

"Tomorrow dawns in darkness!" I declared, "From this moment, and for the rest of _eternity_…" I paused as my horn glowed with familiar, warming magic. Even amidst all of this chaos, my connection with the moon was still comforting. Behind me, the moon began to rise into the sky, much faster than it normally would. For a bit of dramatic flare, I held both my head and my forehooves high, no doubt creating a glorious silhouetted image.

"…_the night will last forever!_"

"Luna, please!"

"_**That is no longer my name!**_" A fiery rush of anger coursed through my entire body, and I felt everything flare up around me as I smashed my hooves into the ground again. The ground blackened and the edges of the drapes behind me burned to cinders. I grit my teeth and glared at Celestia, my chest rising and falling with every heaving breath. I hated her. I _hated_ this pony with every fibre of my being. I had never known anger like this before, and it felt like I could blow up the entire castle with a single huff of breath.

"What…?"

"_Luna was a pathetic doormat of a pony who sat by and let her 'regal' elder sister do whatever she wanted. I have forsaken that name and bestowed upon myself a new name befitting the regent of the night and ruler of all Equestria!_"

The moon was high in the sky behind me, casting a perfect beam of light through the shattered window and directly onto me. Now, on top of all of this newfound power, I had the power of the moon coursing through me. I was _invincible_!

"_**I am Nightmare Moon!**_"

The room erupted into even more chaos as my vision was overtaken by a swirl of black magic aura. I will not lie, I was frightened at first. I had not cast anything further, and I had thought Celestia had done something to stop me in her sneaky, treacherous ways. The black aura surrounded me, encasing me within a perfect sphere, and that's when I calmed down.

There were traces of moonlight in the aura. I had not recognized it, but this was my power. This was but a small portion of the magic that I had at my disposal; more magic than I even knew what to do with. It was surrounding me, protecting me, _loving _me. I felt it close in on me, but there was no more fear. I heard Celestia scream, but only just barely. The power coursed through me, like wonderful fire in my veins. I felt it empowering me even further. It was changing me; making me better! It wasn't long before the black aura faded away, most of it having been absorbed into me. I landed back on the ground with a powerful stomp of my iron-clad hooves, standing tall with a wonderful new perspective on things.

I gave a pleased chuckle, running my tongue across my new, razor-sharp fangs. Everything seemed further below me as I was taller now, staring down victoriously at Celestia with striking green eyes of the night. I could see my mane billowing around me, filled with even more magic than before, and I felt my new armoured adornments. I brought up one of my hooves to idly inspect the armored hoofpiece, and got a good look at my new jet-black fur.

I began to chuckle again, and soon it evolved into a full-bellied laugh. This was _far_ beyond perfect. Such a strikingly wonderful form befitting Nightmare Moon, ruler of all Equestria. I continued to laugh loudly, unable to contain my joy. There was _so_ much power within me! I had basically already won.

I stopped laughing and turned to look at Celestia with a triumphant grin. She was frozen on the spot, her pupils the size of dots and her jaw hanging open in utter disbelief. Even from across the room I could see her trembling. It seemed my vision had been augmented. I gleefully wondered what other little surprises lay in store.

The now-smaller alicorn with her pathetic pink mane was heaving heavy breaths and seemed to be trying to say something, though she couldn't get the words out. It wasn't surprising really. I had transformed into something entirely new; far beyond whatever wretched pony I had once been. I would probably be in shock too if in her position.

The power welling inside of me was like a whirlwind, tornado and volcanic eruption all at once. It felt so wonderful to feel it within me, but I also wanted to just let it all out. My eyes quickly shot up towards the roof, seeking out all those eye-sores of statues. With a wicked grin I lanced my horn up towards them, channeling a substantial amount of my magic through it. A bright energy beam, teal in colour, shot forth and impacted the first statue. The statue crumbled in seconds, falling to the floor below in a pile of debris.

I laughed again as I began to destroy the rest of the statues. This seemed to snap their likeness out of her stupor as she began gasping and begging me to stop. My destruction continued, shattering every statue and not caring where the pieces landed. A few of them barely missed Celestia, much to my amusement.

Finally I rested my eyes on her again. She was gritting her teeth and pulling as hard as she could against her magical bonds. Her horn was also glowing, attempting to disarm them. Only a second after I laid eyes on her, she finally managed to break the bonds and stumble forward into a standing position. She was free, and she began to flee towards the door while keeping her eyes on me.

A split-second flash of my horn later, and she was now trapped within fresh magical restraints of strength tenfold. I grinned smugly.

Celestia gasped as she was halted yet again by my magic. Her horn glowed with a bright golden aura as her face turned to desperation. My attuned senses were able to not only pick up on the magical 'waves' she cast forth, but also identify them within moments.

"Don't bother," I said to her simply, trotting down the stairs towards her, "There's no guards left to come to your aid."

She turned to me in confusion as her horn lit up with a different kind of spell. An offensive one. I effortlessly squeezed her horn with my own magic and put a quick stop to that.

"They're all fast asleep," I continued to say, "I made sure of that." I continued to slowly stalk towards her, weaving my way around the rubble of Celestia-statues. "Isn't that what you wanted?" I continued, my voice slipping into a playful, condescending tone, "You wanted allll of your little ponies to _sleep_ during the night…Didn't you?"

"Stay back…" she whispered, struggling desperately and lighting up her horn again. I extinguished her magic effortlessly.

"Awwww…" I cooed in a mocking tone, "Poor Celestia is all tied up. None of her endless legions of followers around to support her…" I stepped right up next to her fearlessly, placing my muzzle mere inches away from her own. My mane slipped forwards, moving like a tendril, to place itself under her chin and force her head up so that she was looking directly at me. "Not so _tough_ when you're all alone, are you?"

There was unequivocal fear and panic in those eyes, something that few had ever seen. My spells were holding her completely immobilized, and were also putting quite an effective damper on her own magic. She was a sitting duck and I was her stalking predator. This was a position she was hardly ever in.

"What are you…?!" she breathed, the panic even seeping into her voice.

I furrowed my brow slightly. "Oh come now, Celestia…" I replied, "I may have changed for the better, but I don't look _that_ much different, do I?"

She shook her head gently. "What…Who are you? And what have you…Where's Luna?!"

Now my expression was anger. "You are a blind _fool_, Celestia! I suggest you convince yourself to believe what has happened, because it _has_ happened and there is no undoing it. 'Luna' was a pony that I once was, long ago, but you can forget about her. She was me, and she has now _become_ me." I gave a smug grin of satisfaction and lowered my voice to a deep whisper.

"…_Hello, Tia._"

She visibly jumped when she heard me speak that nickname. It was a name that only one pony in the entire world ever called her, and hearing it from my mouth brought newfound horror to her eyes.

"No…" she whispered, "No, you're not Luna…"

"Astute observation," I said in an even tone, "I am _not_ Luna any longer. You _will_ address me as Nightmare Moon."

"It can't be…I won't believe it…You're not Luna. You're not…my little sister. You're not!"

"Such _optimistic_ words…" I was beginning to enjoy myself, and it was quite entertaining to see the various expressions flash across Celestia's face. "But I _am_ the same pony, Celestia, at least physically. I have changed a lot, it is true, but it's still me…_sister._"

Celestia gave a yelp as if somepony has just pulled out part of her mane and she swung her head around, as if trying to bat me away with her horn. I moved my head back to dodge, my movements faster than the wind.

"You're a _liar_!" she exclaimed, "What are you? Some kind of Changeling?! What did you do with my sister? We've defeated you three times already! Give up!"

My humoured laughter filled the room. "Oh you _fool_! What kind of Changeling has this level of magical power?" To punctuate my point, I increased the 'squeeze' of her bonds, making her cry out in distress.

My laughter died down to a chuckle. Celestia was gritting her teeth in pain, and a moment later opened a single eye to look at me again. There was a mix between an angry glare and the look of a frightened filly, both mixed together. "Very well…" I said with a small sigh, "If I must prove it to you further…"

I relaxed her bonds back to their original strength, letting her breathe properly. She eyed me cautiously as I slowly trotted around her in a circle. "I am no longer Luna," I said to her, "but I _was_ her. I will not deny my past, Celestia; I was once weak and pathetic. I was the pony living for decades and _centuries_ in your shadow. I was the pony who crafted you a beautiful portrait in the sky using my stars and auroras. I gave it to you on your birthday in 998. My birthday on that same year? I didn't see a single trace of you. I didn't even know where you _were_ until _eleven_ days later."

With every word that I spoke as I circled her, the horrified expression on her face continued to grow. By the time I had finished speaking there were tears in her eyes. All she could do was gently shake her head.

"Centuries of neglect and mistreatment have led us here, _sister_," I spoke to her in a harsh whisper, "Now, at long last, I have put you in your place."

"What…happened to you…?" Celestia spoke in a shaken voice, "…What have you done?!"

I stared at her expressionlessly. "I did what I had to."

"You…You've become a…a…"

I curled my lips into a wide grin as I looked down upon her. "A 'what', Celestia? What is it you're trying to say? I've become a _monster_?"

She winced at the last word.

"I'll take that as a compliment." I then stood up tall once more as I towered over her. I began to idly trot away from her, speaking as I went. "In any case…You have heard me speak of what will happen in Equestria now. There shall no longer be 'day', and the sun shall never again rise. Before you say anything, I implore you to remember…This was _all_ your own doing."

"You can't do this!" I heard her say from behind me, as I was no longer looking at her, "What about the land? What about our citizens? There is going to be _mass panic_ come morning!"

I idly lifted a hoof and examined it. "Dear me," I said in disinterest, "I suppose I'll have to deal with that, won't I?"

"There's still time to stop this! I promise you from the bottom of my heart that I shall right any wrongs I have committed against you! Please, sister! Don't be a fool!"

I chose to outright ignore her pathetic plea, and instead gazed up through the broken window at the moon shining down upon me. Just seeing it filled me with strength and confidence. "There is no point," I spoke, loud enough for her to hear, "in asking pointless questions…So I am going to assume that you will not stand down, Celestia. You would oppose me, no?"

There was a very drawn-out pause between the two of us. The tension in the air was so incredibly thick. Even without looking at her, I could picture the indecision and conflict in her expression. Then finally, she spoke.

"I…I would."

"You would stand against your own sister?"

"…Yes." There was resolve in her voice, but mostly I detected sorrow.

"Very well then," I said as my horn began to glow once more, "By your own choice, Celestia…This shall be _war_." I thrust my horn skywards, guiding my moon higher into the sky. It moved quickly across the night sky, nearly ten times faster than it normally moved, out of the frame of the window and up to the highest point in the sky. As I did this, I heard Celestia crying out in pain behind me. This rapid alteration of the moon's normal rotation was also affecting the sun's rotation, and the results appeared to be rather painful.

"The moon shall stand her ground," I announced as my celestial wonder came to rest at the peak, in the same place where the sun would normally be during noon. There, undoubtedly, it would be visible to all corners of Equestria.

"Stop this!" Celestia was shouting, "Lower it! You mustn't alter the course of nature like this!"

"Ha!" I exclaimed, "And who are _you_ to speak about the course of nature! Have you forgotten how much you like to meddle with nature? Hm?"

"You _must_ lower the moon back to its proper place!"

"There is _no_ such obligation other than your own," I replied with finality, "The moon shall remain where is currently is for as long as I see fit!"

I had expected to hear another retort from Celestia but instead, to my surprise, I heard a third voice.

"Your highness! What's happening?!"

Quick as a flash I turned myself around and lanced a bolt of energy from my horn with perfect aim. The bright, glowing bolt whizzed through the air, zipped past Celestia's head by mere inches, and struck the stallion square in the chest. He cried out in pain for a brief second as jolts of arcane electricity danced across his body, and then he fell to the floor in a heap.

Celestia gasped in horror and I quickly galloped over to investigate. The lifeless stallion was wearing the armour of a Royal Guard. Damn! I had specifically acquired a registry of all guards who would be stationed in the castle tonight so I could put them all to sleep. This idiot must have been a new recruit or something.

It only took a moment's observation to see how effective my strike had been, and to accept that there was no longer any danger to myself.

"You…killed him…"

I rolled my eyes and turned to face Celestia. "Wonderfully astute observation as always, Celestia."

She wasn't looking at me. Her gaze was locked upon the soldier's dead body. "He was one of us…" she was murmuring, a shaken look in her eyes, "He was innocent and you _killed_ him!"

"He was subservient to you and, therefore, my enemy," I retorted. With a growl of frustration I used the tendrils of my mane to once again force her to look at me. "You seem surprised, Celestia," I spoke smoothly to her, "Yet, you shouldn't be. Have you forgotten?" I took a pause before I leaned in close and lowered my voice. "Casualty is an inevitability of war."

"You didn't need to kill him…"

"You hammered that lesson into my head when I was younger," I said, standing back up tall. I noticed the tears in her eyes and scoffed at her weakness.

"How could you do this, Luna…?"

A sudden spike of anger shot through me. I turned away from her and used my magic to tighten her bonds again. I heard her crying out in pain behind me, but I didn't care. "I tire of this game, Celestia," I said as I began to pace towards the back-end of the room, "The way I see it, you have two options. You may change your mind and submit to me, or I shall _destroy_ you and toss you into the dungeons to rot."

The squeezing of the magical bonds rendered her unable to reply except with more screams, and so I focused my attention elsewhere. My eyes fell upon the decoration of the back wall and, specifically, the two hanging tapestries. With a quick flash of my horn, the tapestry on the right burst into bright blue flames, being reduced to ashes in a matter of seconds. As Celestia continued to shout behind me, I then levitated the throne on the right into the air. With nary even a movement of my head, the throne tossed itself to the ground and shattered into a hundred wooden pieces. These too then erupted into flames.

"Well? Have you made your decision?" I mused as my eyes fell to the carpet on the floor emblazoned garishly with the sun, "I hope you're not thinking of opposing me or, perish the thought, _fighting_ me. I think it's quite clear that I now have the upper hoof, _dear sister_."

Celestia let out a particularly loud cry. I remember thinking to myself that perhaps I was underestimating my own strength, and perhaps I was choking the life out of her. Casually, I turned around again to face her, but then my eyes shot open wide.

The other alicorn was gritting her teeth and pushing against her bonds, which were actually bending and beginning to give way. More than that, however, she was surrounded with a moderately bright golden aura and her horn was pulsing with energy. I took two hasty steps towards her, but then I was halted by the strong burst of magic.

My shield spell prevented any adverse effects, but I was still blinded from the flash. When my vision cleared, I saw that Celestia had broken free from her bonds somehow and was standing up. My focus, however, was drawn to her appearance. She was now nearly as tall as me, and her mane was now transformed into a flowing sea of pinks, blues, greens and purples.

Huh…That was new…

She also had her eyes closed, so I capitalized by casting another, more powerful immobilizing spell towards her. Her eyes flashed open and her horn glowed bright gold. My spell was batted away effortlessly.

"Oh my…" I said, keeping my cool, "Isn't _this_ an interesting development?" I took a few steps forward, striding towards her. "Perhaps you _can_ offer me some challenge."

She lowered her head slightly and alit her horn once more, this time with a much brighter glow. "Luna!" she proclaimed, speaking in a much more powerful voice than before, "I do _not_ wish to fight you! You _must_ lower the moon! It is your duty!"

Immediately, I was surrounded by a powerful, fiery aura as I glared at her. "'Luna'?!" I growled, "You still choose to insult me by associating me with the name of an _inferior_ pony?! Hear me now and engrave it in your mind! _I am Nightmare Moon_!"

Celestia's expression did not change.

I took a single step forward, slamming it into the ground. "Since you _refuse_ to yield, then I have but one royal duty now. This is your final chance, Celestia! If you do not stand down, I will _destroy you_."

For what seemed like an eternity, the two of us stood our ground and stared at one another. Tense silence filled the room as each waited for the other to make a move. It was many minutes until there was finally a change.

Celestia closed her eyes and heaved a sorrowful sigh as a single tear ran down her cheek. She remained that way for a moment and I considered attacking her, but I _do_ have some sense of honour. Besides, if this erupted into a full-on battle, it would be _so_ much more fun! Finally, Celestia opened her eyes and stared at me. For the first time that evening, I saw fury in those eyes. She opened her mouth and spoke two glorious words that would forever change the history of Equestria.

"_En garde._"

* * *

_Songs Referenced in this Chapter:_

_Moonrise - by The L Train_

_The Moon Rises - by Ponyphonic_

_Please find these songs on Youtube and support these artists!_


	2. Baptism of Bloodshed

Chapter 2 - **Baptism of Bloodshed**

_The castle bell, she chimes for war,_

_One, two, three, four,_

_To call forth creatures so abhorred,_

_They slaughter all, and thirst for more._

_-Author unknown; March 1009_

* * *

"_En garde._"

One would not even have a moment to blink in the time between my sister saying those two fateful words, and her charging directly at me with intent to cripple. In the briefest fraction of a second she had summoned a golden arcane sword and was now swinging it directly towards my neck. I too summoned an arcane sword, deep blue and silver in colour, and held it up to block her strike. Less than a tenth of a second had passed.

We stared at each other for a brief moment as we pressed our swords against one another. That single action of hers had told me all I needed to know. Celestia, for whatever reason, was through playing around. The weakness she had exhibited before in never wanting to harm her little sister was gone. Now, I wasn't entirely convinced that she wouldn't try to kill me.

How thrilling.

Her intentions now clear to me, I shifted into an all-out attack. I parried her sword away and thrust forward directly towards her chest. She was only barely able to block the strike, but I didn't stop there. I continued to swing and strike, throwing forth a relentless assault on the other alicorn. She managed to keep herself from harm, but there was strain in her expression as she rapidly moved her sword around to block. Me, on the other hand, I was grinning the entire time.

She blocked a particularly powerful strike from me and the two of us pressed our swords against one another's again. Sparks began to erupt from the magic swords as we both pushed harder and harder, and seconds later we were both forced back a few good feet from a minor outburst of magic. Celestia took this brief opportunity to cast a spell. In a quick flash, golden armour appeared all over her body. Comparatively, she was more decked out than I was, with protective plates covering her torso, her head, her limbs, and even the bridges of her wings. Despite the fact that I only had a chestplate, hoofguards and my headpiece, I chose not to summon anything further.

Celestia grit her teeth and swung wide towards me. Instead of blocking or countering, however, I swiftly moved to the side. My sudden absence caused her to stumble and lose her balance, and I capitalized by firing a beam of magic directly at her. She was just barely able to pull up a magic shield, which caused the bolt to deflect and fly directly into the ceiling. It shattered in a spectacle of rock and rubble, leaving a sizable hole through which the glorious moon could be seen.

She took a quick look at it before blocking and pushing back against more strikes from me. My opponent then surprised me by unfurling her wings, giving them a powerful stroke, and dashing off quick as lightning through the roof and into the sky above.

I stared after her bemusedly. "And _where_ do you think you're going?" I called out before unfurling my own wings and giving chase.

I had honestly expected that she had turned tail and ran, but I was pleased to see that she was waiting for me in the sky, ready to continue battle. It seemed she simply wished to do so in a different environment. Personally, I was confident that this would prove to be a grave error in judgement on her part. Though I had only just flown for the first time in this form, I could already tell that I was faster than her in the air.

Once I had reached her altitude, she wasted no time in darting towards me with her sword. I blocked her strike and began to circle around with a strike of my own. Aerial sword duels had always been a favourite of mine and I was honestly quite confused as to why she would choose to fight me in such an arena. The two of us began darting around like flies, whizzing through the air and trying to strike the other. Our two forms became a blur, occasionally punctuated by the _clink_ of swords connecting.

As more time passed, I became quickly attuned to my new heightened senses. Despite my incredible speed, I could see everything around me clearly. Celestia never managed to catch me off guard because I could always see her coming. I, on the other hoof, had managed to dent her armour three times. Small victories, yes, but I was _winning_.

A loud battle cry caught my attention and I quickly twirled myself in the air to see her oncoming strike. I blocked her sword, but she didn't relent. Celestia launched herself into her own flurry of attacks, repeatedly swinging and striking at me. Her skill caused me to lose my smile and dedicate a lot of focus. I was never so arrogant as to believe that defeating Celestia would be _easy_. I constantly reminded myself that she was one of the most skilled fighters in the entire world and would not go down easily.

I was put on the defensive for a short period, and I took in Celestia's expression and appearance while I blocked her strikes. Something had definitely changed within her along with her new flashy mane. I would not, however, call what I saw in her eyes 'fury'. Perhaps a more fitting word would be 'determination'. I could see within her a drive to win, but not a drive to be _victorious_.

I pulled in my wings and dove underneath her quickly, flitting back up beside her. I swung a powerful slash at the armour protecting her shoulder, and part of the armour crumpled against her and fell loose. She cried out in surprise and quickly moved her sword to block, and then she also tried to zip around. I never let her get close enough.

We flitted through the air like dragonflies, each trying to sneak around the others' defenses. We moved through the air barely noticing our surroundings. All I cared about was that my glorious moon was above us, bathing me in its cool, caring light. We had moved away from the castle so I wasn't likely to fly into any walls by accident. We were probably above Canterlot now, and anypony on the ground would probably be able to see us, but it mattered not.

Who was I kidding? They were all _asleep_. And even if somepony _had_ seen us, not one of them would dare set themselves between two duelling goddesses.

Celestia gave a few guttural grunts and began to pour on the offense again. As I blocked and countered, she launched a few arcane bolts from her horn at me. To her credit, that had actually caught me by surprise, if only briefly. I narrowed my brow as I dove forth to strike her again.

I had the upper hoof and was winning this battle, but I was winning far too slowly. If things continued like this, then Celestia would not fall from exhaustion or defeat for _days_. She was, after all, the pony who could most closely match my level of skill. Perhaps, I realized, I would have to do something to expedite the process.

I was forced to weave through the air to avoid more bolts from her horn. As I was dodging, she had been charging up a fairly large offensive spell, which she then lanced at me. I had no time to dodge, but a shield spell kept me unharmed. No sooner did it dissipate than I brought up my sword to block a daring strike from my opponent.

I pushed back with my own sword and forced her to remain in place so that I could observe her again. I could see a reflection of myself in her eyes; a beautiful, powerful mare with both anger and confidence in her own eyes. Celestia, however, was almost emotionless. What I saw in her eyes was no more than a desire to end what was happening. I smirked as I got an idea.

Celestia's sword lurched forward as I suddenly stopped pushing against it with mine. I fell back and allowed her sword to come within millimeters of my snout. She fumbled in the air, not having expected that, as I dashed up beside her and made a bold swipe directly for her exposed jugular.

Expectedly, she managed to block my strike, and then the shot of adrenaline I had given her pushed her to make a bold counterattack. Just as before, I feigned a block and then carefully positioned myself to allow her blade to come immeasurably close to ending my life.

"So!" I exclaimed to her as we continued to duel, "What is the plan, _Celestia_?"

She didn't respond as she blocked another flurry of strikes from me.

"Do you plan to kill me?" I yelled while staring her directly in the eyes, "Are you going to _kill_ you little baby sister?"

I received exactly the reaction I had expected. Celestia's eyes widened, as if she had just realized what she had been doing, and her blocks began to get sloppy. I even saw the aura gripping her sword dissipate slightly. I grinned in satisfaction and slashed forward with my own sword directly at an unprotected part of her body.

She couldn't block my strike. The only thing she had the presence of mind to do was to teleport away, and only after my blade had sunk an inch or two into her flesh.

I tracked her spell and found that she had reappeared to my left, quite a distance away from me.

"Killing you is the last thing I want to do!" she called to me, her hardened eyes like those of a stone statue's, "But…I _will_ if I must. If the ponies of this land are put at risk because of you…then I will not hesitate to put a stop to you." Her expression faltered just slightly. "_Please_ do not let it come to that."

I didn't respond and instead zipped over to where she was with a burst of magic. I struck her armour before she could even react, causing her to bring up her sword and sloppily block my strikes. I had shaken her to the core; the damage had been done. The night air was filled with the sounds of clashes and clangs as metal met metal. Our horns were glowing furiously as we moved our swords around almost impossibly fast.

I ramped up my game, throwing in bolts of magic from my horn. She was far too imbued with magic for me to do anything such as making her armour vanish or teleporting her underground. Still, however, offensive magic held no prejudice and would burn whomever it struck. Between manoeuvering her sword around to block and the shield spells she had to cast, strain was beginning to show upon the face of my opponent.

Finally, though, Celestia's horn glowed with a different kind of magic and she fired off an offensive spell in desperation. I had not quite been expecting it and so it managed to graze my shoulder, burning the fur just slightly. I ignored the pain and didn't falter. Her first hit on me. I had expected her to do at least some damage to me.

I was vulnerable for only a brief moment, but she did capitalize on it. She dashed forward with her sword and forced me to bring mine up to block. Again, we began pushing as hard as we could against one another in a battle of strength and endurance. The minor hit she had gained off of me seemed to have snapped her out of her reverie, or at least partially. That cold, soulless determination had returned to her eyes.

We continued pouring strength into our swords, but this time neither of us yielded. It was as if we had shared an unspoken agreement to continue pushing until something broke. I grit my teeth and she did the same, the two of us staring directly at one another. I could feel lightning dancing between us. The pressure increased more and more as we poured all of our strength, magical or otherwise, into overpowering the other.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the two swords shattered into a cloud of multicoloured dust. Both of our arcane weapons had just been completely destroyed, and there would be no time to craft another one while this battle raged.

What's more, the momentum I had been pouring into my sword carried me forward, as I had not expected the swords to shatter. I predicted that the two of us would tumble into one another like some sort of clumsy painful hug, but instead I tumbled into air. Seconds later, I felt two very powerful hooves connect with my backside and send me flying through the air. Celestia had managed to teleport away as soon as the swords broke and buck me straight in the back.

Okay. I'll give you that one.

I righted myself before I could impact the ground and scanned the sky for my opponent. I realized with a scowl that Celestia had expected our weapons to shatter. She had _sacrificed_ her own weapon to ensure the destruction of mine. Perhaps she was more dedicated to this battle than I thought.

A second later I found her, and she was yards away from where we had both just been. I began to fly towards her and, as I did, took notice of what she was doing. Her horn was glowing but I couldn't see or feel what she was casting. She saw me coming, twisted in the air, and launched an arcane bolt at me, which I blocked. I readied my own spell, but she had vanished again.

I swore as I sought her out again. Just like before, she was yards away with her horn glowing. I sped off towards her again, but then something caught my eye that actually made me slow down. I nearly came to a stop, staring at her with disbelief.

My eyes followed where her horn was pointed at, and my heart skipped a beat as I found myself staring at the moon. Rage burned within me as I realized what she was doing.

She was trying to cast _my_ magic, and she was using it to _try to lower the moon_.

A furious, vengeful cry slipped from my throat as I sped through the sky towards her. I cannot even describe the rage that was coursing through my veins in that moment. Despite all that she had done, Celestia had _never_ touched my moon. And now she was trying to use her own filthy magic to force it away! How _dare_ she?!

In my blind rage I had dedicated little thought to planning. Celestia saw me coming a mile away and teleported. For the time, though, I was too mad to think properly. A couple of times this was repeated; Celestia appearing somewhere and reaching out to the moon with me hot on her tail. I could feel the moon slipping away from its rightful place and back towards the horizon!

Some of my common sense returned to me and I reached out with my own magic. The moon belonged to me, and so it heeded my call much closer. With a guttural cry of fury I thrust it back into the high point of the sky. I felt volatile magic radiate off of me, spreading outwards like an explosion. It managed to catch Celestia off-guard and interrupt her next teleport.

"You would _dare_?!" I exclaimed before quickly teleporting myself. Celestia could not recover from her momentarily disrupted magic in time, and she cried out in pain from a concentrated blast of magic right between the plates of her armour. Blood seeped from a fresh wound, as if she had been pierced by a large arrow.

She whirled herself around and backed away from me, gritting her teeth in pain. I was already readying another spell. "You have left me no choice!" she called out to me, but I barely heard her.

Another fiery arcane spell zipped towards her, and she blocked it with a shield. I flung more, smaller spells at her in an attempt to catch her by surprise again, but she blocked those as well. Celestia then began to sling golden spells back at me, which I also blocked. The two of us circled one another in the air, tens of spells flying forth from our horns, and just as many small, magical shields covering us.

Again, neither of us would yield. More and more spells sailed through the air, attempting to strike the other. Gradually, our spells grew smaller but more plentiful until eventually we were casting an absolute barrage of _hundreds_ of spells. Not only that, but we began to slowly drift closer to one another. The air between us was filled with a dizzying array of golds, silvers and translucent shields. It was like a thousand fireworks erupting in the tiny space between us.

It was a test of endurance. Eventually one of us would fail and a spell would slip through. It took an incredibly long time, but finally something broke.

Celestia grunted as one of my tiny spells slipped through a crack in her armour, and this was followed by screams of anguish. The first spell had broken her concentration, and so all of the spells following it found no shields to block their paths. I grinned in victory as Celestia was buffeted by hundreds of tiny, painful spells. Unfortunately, at some point in the midst of this chaos she had managed to teleport away.

She was now many yards away, panting and glaring at me. Much of her armour had been damaged and had fallen away, leaving only the guards on her hooves, head and chest. In various other places, her fur was tinted with either black or red. She was now covered in quite a number of injuries, while I had managed so far with only a pair of bruises on my back.

"Do you surrender yet?" I called to her, a bit of playfulness slipping into my voice.

"You know that I cannot allow you to win…" she replied.

In response, I laughed. "We've only barely begun, and you've already taken at least 20 times as much damage as I have. I will admit that I'm rather sour at the loss of my arcane sword, and I will most certainly be getting you back for that pair of hoofprints on my back, but ultimately you may as well give in."

"There's still a chance for us to end this!" she called out, "I'm giving you a chance at _survival_ here! If you continue these acts of treachery, then I _will_…I will kill you…"

I had caught that brief pause. I narrowed my eyes and grinned at her. "Very well, then," I spoke slowly, "_Kill_ me."

I decided to show her how brutal I could be. I performed a quick teleport directly next to her, so close that I could feel the puff of air from her startled breath. Barely a blink of an eye passed before I began whaling on her. I began with a hoof punch directly to her jaw and followed it up with a nonstop barrage of punches, jabs, kicks and bucks. The metal guards on my hooves delivered quite a satisfactory amount of bloodshed. I didn't give my opponent the chance to do a single thing before I finally felt she'd had enough and kicked her in the back directly towards the ground.

To my moderate surprise, she managed to spread her wings and stabilize herself before she impacted. Before I could chase after her, she teleported away and then slammed into me from the side in a midair tackle. She began trying to punch me and managed to land a couple of hits, but most of her strikes were ineffective. In no time I had forced her off of me.

I regarded the beautiful, regal Princess of Equestria; beaten, battered and covered in bruises and blood. I saw her lips move silently, and I am certain I saw the word 'Savage' being formed.

"Having fun, Celestia?" I toyed with her, "War's not so much fun when you're not winning, is it?"

She coughed up blood before saying, "This doesn't _have_ to be war!"

I merely chuckled. "Those sound like the words of a pony who knows she cannot win."

The briefest flash of fire danced behind her eyes. "I know you think all of my military victories were lucky flukes, but I _was_ there on the battlefield, or at least close nearby. I have defeated _countless_ foes who would put the safety and serenity of Equestria at risk. I have defeated every single one of them, and I will defeat _you_ as well!"

I stared at her for a moment with a neutral expression on my face. "You _want_ to defeat me." There was a pause. "But I do not believe that you _will_."

"Silence…"

"I can see it in your eyes, Celestia. You feel the heat of battle, but not the drive to win! Though this newfound power of yours is definitely…" I took a moment to rub an aching spot on my jaw. "…making things _difficult_, you still do not match up against me. What you feel right now is how I have felt for _centuries_."

"I-"

Celestia suddenly gasped and had to duck out of the way of my arcane blast. "I am not a _fool_, Celestia! I can feel you using healing magic like a coward!"

I felt her teleport behind me and threw up a shield before she could send a magic spell directly into my back. "Ha!" I exclaimed as I danced away from her through the air, "You would have to do a lot better than that."

I dove towards her to attack, but expectedly she teleported away. I found her location and launched the spell I had been charging up directly at her. My grin fell, however, as I quickly had to focus all of my energy into a very powerful shield spell. The red magic that had been lanced at me smashed against it and caused them both to dissipate.

Celestia _was_ serious, I began to think. That had been a spell designed to cripple wings. I could have been sent spiraling to the ground; that had actually been dangerous! Then I stopped, however, and thought more deeply about it. She was using cheap tactics to try to end this battle as soon as possible.

"End this!" I heard her command from above.

"Never!" I replied with a grin, "You _will_ submit to me, one way or another."

"I beg of you not for me, but for the poor, innocent ponies of this land. Please, Luna. Stop this insanity."

Spells flew past her head. "_What_ did you call me?"

"Luna…I beg of you from the bottom of my heart…"

My right eye twitched slightly. Rage. Blinding, burning rage, and it was all welling up inside of me. Immediately, I felt like shouting. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs and beat something, _anything_, until it no longer breathed. That name was an insult now! _That_ name should never grace my royal ears for as long as I shall live! _That name must die!_

I could have shouted at her, but instead I remained silent. So much power had been welling up within me, and so I simply channeled it forth. A black and blue aura began to burn around me, complimenting my furious expression.

"Celestia," I spoke evenly, "I warn you not to anger me again."

After another couple moments of tense staring, Celestia's lip began to quiver. A single tear rolled down her cheek, mixing in with the dried blood there. Though she began to whisper, I could hear her clearly. "Please…" Her breath caught in her throat for a moment, and then she continued.

"Don't make me kill you, Luna…"

The aura around me erupted into a powerful, blazing inferno, making Celestia shrink back. "_**It is you who shall die!**_" I yelled, the dam having finally been broken. Quick as a bolt of lightning I angled myself towards her, channeled all of my power and magic through my horn, and lanced a bolt directly at her with a wicked, animalistic cry.

She cried out and darted to the side to avoid it. I was prepared for this, however. She suddenly found herself facing me as I teleported into her flight path. Before she could even react, an arcane sword was buried up to the hilt into her chest. Simultaneously, I latched on to the remaining pieces of her armour with my magic and forcibly ripped them off.

She screamed in horrified pain as she focused all of her energy to backing away through the air to get away from me. I had barely even noticed that I had somehow created a new arcane sword in a matter of seconds. I took off through the air to chase her, the blazing aura around me causing the trees to erupt into flames as I passed them.

Celestia tried to grip the sword so she could pull it out but couldn't. To any other pony, a strike like that would mean certain death. However, as an alicorn like myself, it was merely a hard blow to her stamina. If she couldn't get it out, which I highly doubted she could, then she wouldn't last much longer on the battlefield.

She saw me coming and pulled herself into a sudden dive to try to escape my pursuit. I was ready for this, however, with a quick teleport. As she reached the base of her dive and began pulling herself back up, I passed by her in the opposite direction with a dive of my own. Celestia lurched back suddenly and let out a strained, strangled cry of pain.

I pulled her towards me with the glowing silver chain I had wrapped around her neck. She was flailing all of her limbs, including her wings, and grasping at the chain with her two front hooves. Her mouth hung open but no sound came out except for choking gasps. Celestia tried desperately to inhale and her eyes clenched shut as her face began to turn a pale shade of blue.

"_Surrender, Celestia!_" I proclaimed, hopefully for the final time. Her horn was glowing, but the aura would simply sputter out. Her gagging, painful gasps of air were music to my ears as I held her there, keeping the grip as tight as I could. She had opened one eye and was staring at me with it. I had expected her to appear pleading, but I saw something _much_ better in that one eye.

_Fear_.

Celestia was only a few seconds away from unconsciousness, and I refused to relent. Copious amounts of blood poured out from around the sword embedded within her, and all of the colour was beginning to drain from her face. I was so enthralled in this position of power over her that I unfortunately did not notice her horn beginning to glow a little more steadily.

She had only managed to make a short hop with her teleport spell, but it had been enough to free her from my chain. I could have immediately pounced and attacked her again, but I didn't.

It was clear that I didn't need to.

I could see it in Celestia's eyes; the fight was over. She simply hovered there before me, sucking in massive gasps of air to replenish the supply in her lungs, and all the while she was staring at me. Her eyes wide open showing utter terror. Her pupils had shrunk to tiny dots, though they remained focused on me as if afraid to look away. From her eyes alone, I could tell exactly what was going through her mind.

What I had just done was no attempt to disarm, disable or cripple her. Celestia was coming to grips with the fact that I had just tried to murder her. Furthermore, I had done it in cold blood. I could see it all melting away in her mind. Her doubts of my intent and her underestimating of my resolve. For the first time this evening, Celestia saw me as something other than her unruly little sister.

So, she turned and fled.

I paused to let loose a wild laugh and to savour the moment. The injured, terrified alicorn was flying off into the distance over the top of Canterlot, but she was hardly out of my reach. When I decided I had waited long enough, I gave my wings a powerful flap and shot through the air towards her. The deep black aura surrounded me and empowered me, letting me fly faster than I ever had before.

She saw me coming and tried to dart away. I grinned as I tailed her, enjoying this little game of cat and mouse. I noticed that she was indeed managing to at least stay ahead of me. It must have been pure adrenaline fueling her to move so quickly. I fired a few arcane beams in her direction but intentionally missed, and I then laughed at the terrified expressions I brought to her face.

We passed over low rooftops, circled the parapets of the castle, and dipped beneath the old stone bridge. She was beginning to pant, a combination of exertion and her injuries sapping her strength down to almost nothing. Still she managed to stay just ahead of me, but I think some part of my subconscious was letting her stay ahead just for the fun of it. I was drifting closer, though. Closing in on my prey.

As we left the castle behind us once again she actually accelerated, much to my surprise. I narrowed my eyes and grinned confidently. My prey was trying to fly away and leave Canterlot behind. "Oh no you don't…" I whispered. Celestia turned and looked back at me, panic still in her eyes, and I chose that moment to strike.

The bright silver beam from my horn cut through the air like a crossbow dart, flying directly towards her. There was barely enough time for Celestia's eyes to fly open wide in horror before the bolt struck her in the chest. She screamed in agony as lightning danced across her form, crippling her wings and causing her entire body to seize up.

A moment later, she fell from the sky.

Celestia impacted the ground in a painful-looking heap, landing at the top of a small grassy knoll just outside of the city of Canterlot. I saw both of her wings break as she tumbled along the ground until she finally came to a stop. She lay there on her side, her body covered in dirt, clumps of grass and blood, her wings bent at sickening angles, and her eyes glazed over. Her chest still rose and fell slowly, shudderingly, but she didn't move.

A second later the ground shook as I landed, standing tall and looking down upon the defeated pony beneath me. Celestia's eyes bugged out and she screamed, much louder than she had when I had struck her down. She began to shudder and writhe slightly on the ground, continuing to cry out in pure agony. My left-front hoof was covered in blood, the crushed remains of the top quarter of Celestia's horn beneath it.

Blood was pouring from where I had broken her horn off, no doubt causing her an unbelievable amount of pain. It must have been unbearable, and I grinned at the thought. My opponent stopped screaming, instead merely slumping on the ground and heaving painful breaths. No more wings, no more magic, and not an ounce of strength left. Celestia lay on the ground beneath me, utterly defeated.

I finally felt something within me that I had not felt for an unbelievably long time. _Satisfaction_. _Elation_. A sense of _accomplishment_. I had marched into that throne room expecting to come out on top, and here I was. It was such an amazing, wonderful feeling that I couldn't help but spend a few minutes basking in its warmth. Years of repression and injustice were now over, for I had _won_!

I heard Celestia groan beneath me, so I lifted my bloodied hoof from her horn and placed it square upon her cheek, holding her down. She moaned in pain and wrenched open one of her eyes to stare up at me. The fire in her eyes was long gone. Now, nothing remained but ashes. She did not speak, but she began to shed tears.

I grinned victoriously as I leaned my head down towards hers. "Game over," I spoke, "It is time you let a _true_ leader sit upon the throne. You are a weak fool, Celestia. You never had any chance of defeating me. I merely allowed you to fool yourself into believing that you could."

"Please…" Celestia whispered, giving one last pathetic plea.

My smile vanished, leaving me with an emotionless stare. "No, Celestia," I spoke in a cold tone, "You have sat upon a throne of lies and blinded these people just as your horrid sun does." I increased the pressure of my hoof slightly and drove her head into the dirt below, causing her to moan in pain again. "Perhaps now the ponies of this land will finally see you as you truly are: a filthy, weak, pathetic egotist."

"You can't-"

"Your actions have led us to what has transpired today. As I told you before, you only have yourself to blame." I paused, my eyes flashing briefly with anger. "You pushed me too far, Celestia. Now you must pay the penance."

She made one last desperate attempt to defy me, but with her lack of strength this only amounted to her batting me lightly with her hoof. It had felt like the paw of a kitten.

I chuckled. "You built yourself a house of cards, Celestia," I spoke, my laughter building, "You have always been so _pathetic_." I continued to laugh as I shifted myself around her, lowering myself down. Celestia watched me with panicking eyes, but she was powerless to escape.

She then let out a horrible, blood-curdling scream as I stabbed my horn directly into the centre of her chest. With the tip mere inches from her heart, I began to focus my energy. Celestia's breathing was strained as she continued to yell and scream like a banshee, but I ignored her.

Her magic began to seep into my horn as I absorbed it and added it to my own. It was like a surge of pure adrenaline coursing down the appendage on my head, striking it like a lightning rod. It was an exhilarating rush as I took from her every ounce of magic that she had. Blood was running down my horn and getting on my face, but I didn't really care. There were certainly less messy ways of obtaining an alicorn's magic, but this was definitely the most efficient.

Celestia did not stop screaming throughout the entire experience. As I felt more and more power flowing into me, her cries grew weaker and more strained. I saw out the corner of my eye that her mane was losing its new colours and shifting back to simple pink, which eventually faded to a dull, washed-out tone.

I extracted everything I could from her, feeling my magical reserves increase twofold. My mane billowed like a glorious storm and the dark aura around me became more fiery and volatile. I had been all-powerful and invincible before, but now I was nigh untouchable. I was more than a goddess! I was now, without question, the most powerful being in the entire world!

I pulled my horn from the unconscious body of what had once been my adversary and held my head high. I could feel the magic of _two_ alicorns coursing through me, feeling almost as if it couldn't be contained. _So much power!_ I had been a fool to call myself powerful before. This was unlike anything any creature in this world had ever experienced before.

I surveyed my surroundings, noticing the large crowd of ponies that was gathered many yards away. In the back of my mind there was a trivial memory I had not paid any mind to of them gathering around the town as we battled in the skies. They all shrunk back in fear as my gaze fell upon them. I grinned, my teeth and fangs glistening in the moonlight. Though my face was stained with blood, I wore it like war paint. If only lightning could have flashed behind me; it would have created the perfect image.

Then I remembered how much power I had, and with the tiniest magical pulse a powerful bolt struck the ground behind me. The ponies all cowered away from the thunderous boom.

"_Citizens of Equestria!_" My voice boomed as it reached all ears of Canterlot, even those still in their homes. "_You are now free from the oppression of the Solar Tyrant! Your princess has fallen in battle, and now a new and glorious reign shall rise_"

A few of them began shouting nothings, but most of them merely cowered. It was a trifle insulting, but I understood that it was to be expected. These fools had served under Celestia for so long, and I was still basically a stranger to them. It mattered not. They would all grow to revere me given enough time.

"_Hear me now, and let it forever be known!_" I proclaimed, "_I am Nightmare Moon, and I am the new, true ruler of Equestria! Under my reign, we shall _crush_ our enemies and live a glorious life together! The scorching sun shall no longer blind you, and the night shall last forever!_"

There were a few shouts of protest from some bravely stupid souls.

I ignored them all. There was a time and a place for all things. As a heavy rain began to pour over all of Canterlot, a consequence of magically calling forth lightning, I gazed down once again at my fallen opponent. The rain slicked my fur and caused all of the blood that had accumulated on me to run like a river. My grin would not leave my face. Everything had gone exactly as I had planned it.

I couldn't help but laugh. It started so small and humble, but soon it grew into jovial victorious laughter. Soon I was cackling almost madly, raising my head high and laughing into the night. It was a moment that I shall remember for the rest of my long life. Celestia had fallen, and I had won.

_I…had won…_


End file.
